Legal Regulation of Public Servants’ Activity: the Ethical Aspect

Jolanta Palidauskaitė

Abstract

Ethical paradigm of public servant activity haven’t deserved appropriate researchers and practitioner’s attention. The author examines Lithuanian laws regulating the activity of public servants from ethical perspective. Using methods of content and comparative analysis the author follows the historical development of laws, evident tendencies and direction in the broader public administration context.The basis for legal regulation of public servants activity was laid in Lithuanian Constitution of 1992. 1995 the first Civil Service Act was pasted. Civil Service Act had been changed three times trying to broaden the scope of regulation, to balance rights and duties of public servants, to increase personal responsibility, and to identify ethical principles for public servants.1997–2000 laws regulating conflict of interests and sexual harassment had been passed. These laws have some disadvantages but the same time they can be estimated as first steps trying to deal with such serious problems in public administration.

Keywords

public servants’ activity; ethics of public administration; rights; duties and responsibility of public servants; values of public servants